Oh, wow, I see everyone is posting their net worth. Since the market is doing so well, I may as well post mine, which has risen to $1.6 million (including the house). Nice. This figure does not include my monthly-for-life annuity payments or Social Security, which I won't claim for another 4 or 5 years.

Hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season. I must confess to a bit of a spending spree starting, I guess, in November. Here's what I've purchased so far that "feels" wierd just becus I've had a lifelong frugal mentality:

* Replaced my office chair, something I got 4 years worth of use out of after rescuing it from the dump! I also went outside my comfort zone and got the new chair in turquoise to match much of the art in my office.  

* Replaced 2 kitchen chairs, which also had been acquired secondhand and were a little banged up. I brought them to the dump and a man grabbed them, which made me happy. The new ones are mid-century modern (love, love) and have a lower profile, which I think works better in my small kitchen.

* New wool blanket

On their way: An organic cotton guaze blanket for summer, a metal 3 in 1 bird feeder (compartments for 2 types of seed plus suet) to replace an old wood one that's missing one panel so seed tends to fall out) and a Kandinsky t-shirt for the gym.

I discovered a fun FB group devoted to people who feed and shelter wild opossums. It led me to start leaving food out, though since they are nocturnal, you wouldn't be able to see them without leaving a light on and rechecking throughout the night, or having a wildlife camera, which is the next thing I want to buy myself.  We'd had a light snowfall, so I could in fact confirm that an opposum stopped by.

Conveniently, I'd caught a mouse in one of my basement traps, so instead of tossing it in a certain spot in the pachysandra I knew I wouldn't be venturing into, I deposited said dead mouse near my other food offerings and the heated water.  It gobbled up the sliced overripe banana and took off with the mouse but left the organic dates and whole wheat pasta.

Opossums are said to reduce local tick populations since they kill them when they groom themselves. They will also kill mice. Two good things, in my book, and also small snakes. While I like snakes, I don't like them in my basement, and they seem drawn to the warmth of my foundation in winter. (Ever notice how the snow melts surrounding your house before anything else?) 

I have documented no fewer than FOUR snakeskins shed in my basement.  I've done a lot of mouse-proofing under the lowest row of shingles, and that seems to have reduced mice getting in. I hope it does same with the snakes. I need to go around again since I caught that last mouse just yesterday after going mouse-free for a week or so.

I never got around to posting pix of the beautiful bobcats I saw here in my yard 3 or 4 weeks ago. Since they don't spend time together except to mate, I am guessing these 2 are mother and offspring. I watched them flush a rabbit out of the brush with ease and teamwork. Felt bad for the rabbit, but... This was a very rare and special sighting, and definitely a highlight of my 30 years here, as I have never seen 2 together, and I was able to take photographs for about 30 minutes before they disappeared.